Should Your Business Join Facebook?

Facebook has developed into a powerful marketing tool for companies and entrepreneurs to expand their business and reach a wider audience. From massage therapists and authors to large corporations and merchandisers, Facebook serves as a platform for exposure. So, for many, the question may seem like it should be, “Why shouldn’t your business join Facebook?”

Exposure is literally boundless, even beyond geographic lines. As of December of 2015, an average of 1.04 billion active daily users share their thoughts, pictures, and life events around the globe. It allows businesses to create a page free of charge, and for a budget-friendly fee, run their own personalized ad or post for specifically-targeted audiences.

So, why shouldn’t your business join Facebook, after all? Although it may sound like a no-brainer, there are some important factors to consider when deciding whether this worldwide networking powerhouse is a good fit for you.

Who will manage your Facebook page?

Though it seems that anyone can use Facebook, it takes a fair amount of creativity, commitment, and professionalism to manage a business’ Facebook page. In a newsfeed that’s swarming with content that pulls users’ attentions in a hundred different directions, you’ll need to post content that is both eye-catching and relevant to your business and the audience it aims to attract. Posts should be made frequently (though not excessively) in order to keep your following engaged, and done so appropriately to ensure that your business is being represented in a professional manner.

A Facebook account with poor grammar, inappropriate content, or a message that doesn’t align with your ethic and philosophy will reflect poorly on your business and can be detrimental to your reputation, and even your revenue. Having a qualified person to run your Facebook who truly knows your business and what it stands for, is simply essential. And a little bit of wit will go a long way.

How much are you willing to invest?

Ask yourself this question in terms of time and money. The big advantage of Facebook is that it allows you to create and run a business page free of charge, much like a personal page, so you don’t have to spend money to have a page rich in content and build a following. However, if your marketing budget allows so, you can run ads and promoted posts on Facebook that will reach a specific audience based on the location, demographics, interests, behaviors and connections of your ideal customer. Facebook advertisement is budget-friendly, and its targeting features increase the likelihood of revenue being generated from your Facebook activity.

However, be mindful of that your Facebook presence needs be constant. A dormant Facebook page won’t do much for your company, and in fact, it may negatively impact the way it’s perceived. Keeping a consistent flow of useful content and interacting with your audience are key elements of Facebook success, so you must be sure that you count on the time to maintain your Facebook presence.

Also, keep in mind that a big following doesn’t mean big revenue. Successful companies with a huge following, such as Copyblogger with 38,000 fans, have opted out of Facebook because despite doing all the right things, their efforts didn’t give them the results they desired. Facebook is filled with fake profiles of people who are paid by “click farms” for liking pages, so you’ll be vulnerable to empty users that will actually damage the targeting demographics of your business on Facebook. And it is a fact that many legitimate users mindlessly “like” without sharing or caring much for the content, and engaging those who will actually turn into customers or refer you to others who will is an arduous task that you must be ready to undertake.

Do you really want to be “out there?”

Facebook is a platform where freedom of speech reigns. Hence, just like you’ll have customers sing praises about your business publicly, if a customer is dissatisfied and posts a complaint in your business page, your customer service skills will be put to the test in broad daylight; you must be ready to meet complaints with tact and professionalism, and prevent situations that could damage your image. Kicking a customer out from your page, however rude or inappropriate they may be, could turn against you swiftly and leave you with a dictator scarlet letter over your Face (pun somewhat intended.) The reality is that whatever appears on your Facebook page is there for the world to see, so ask yourself if you’re really ready to be out there.

If after taking these points into consideration you feel that Facebook is a good fit for your company, we wish that you reap on the many fruits that this social media giant has to offer. However, if you feel that perhaps Facebook is simply not a good fit for you, then your business shouldn’t join Facebook after all – and that is quite alright.